Why We Bought an RC Track Mower
I have been watching RC track mowers on YouTube for a while and kept thinking how useful one would be around our small farm.
We have several areas that are difficult—and honestly a bit nerve-racking—to mow. Our backyard drops down a steep hill with about a 50-foot elevation change. Trying to mow that with a zero-turn mower is not something I enjoy. There are also other rough and steep areas where even using the tractor and large mower starts pushing the limits.
That’s what led us to try a budget RC track mower from Temu.
First Impressions and Setup Issues
The mower arrived on a truck with a lift gate, and the driver was helpful in placing the boxed unit where I wanted it.
After unboxing, I quickly noticed there were no instructions included, which made setup more of a challenge than expected.
There was a tag on the oil fill stating that no oil had been added. When I checked, there was some clear liquid inside, so I drained it and added fresh oil just to be safe. After filling it with gas, I was ready to get started—or so I thought.
Troubleshooting the Power Problem
Like many people, I had watched videos showing how to start these mowers:
- Pull up the stop button
- Turn on the power switch
But when I tried, nothing happened.
No lights. No response from the remote.
I assumed the battery might be dead, so I plugged in the charger. The light showed red, then turned green after a few hours—but still nothing worked.
That’s when my son and I started troubleshooting.
We traced the power and found the issue:
two small white breaker switches were flipped off.
Once we switched them on, everything powered up and the mower took off.
Performance on Hills and Rough Ground
The mower itself is not much bigger than a push mower, but the advantage is huge—you can control it remotely while standing safely on level ground.
For our steep hillside, this made a big difference. No more worrying about sliding down the hill on a zero-turn mower.
The mower handled rough terrain better than expected and did a solid job cutting.
Fuel Use and Minor Issues
After using it daily for a week, here are a couple things I noticed:
- It takes about three to four tanks of gas to mow our hillside
- I do wish it had a larger fuel tank
- One issue I ran into was a rod holding the rubber safety flaps coming loose
- I ended up removing it because it could get into the blades
Future Upgrades and Mod Ideas
Like most equipment on a small farm, I’m already thinking about improvements:
- Adding GPS tracking for better control on large areas
- Possibly working toward semi-automated mowing patterns
- Installing a larger gas tank
- Using the unused remote switch to control a small sprayer attachment
Overall Thoughts After One Week
After using this mower every day for a week, I can say I’m pleased with its performance.
It’s not perfect, but for the price and what it can do, it has already proven useful for areas that are difficult or unsafe to mow with traditional equipment.
If you have steep hills or rough terrain like we do, this might be something worth considering—as long as you understand its limits in speed and size.
Watch the RC Track Mower in Action (Video)
We also filmed this mower in action around the farm.
Question for you.
Have you ever used an RC mower or found a creative way to handle steep or hard-to-mow areas on your property?
